Really? Wow. I remember the original thread (I just looked at it again) but I didn't recall that the DD admitted she had done it, after all. Wow.

If I remember rightly, the follow up thread (about Balletmom's indignation that the uncle wouldn't forgive her DD) was deleted.

OP, I think you were right to mention it to the other children's parents. If you were with the girls watching movies and none of the girls went upstairs before you found the pet sick etc., then I can understand why you're convinced it's your nephew. I hope you get the mystery cleared up somehow.

Really? Wow. I remember the original thread (I just looked at it again) but I didn't recall that the DD admitted she had done it, after all. Wow.

If I remember rightly, the follow up thread (about Balletmom's indignation that the uncle wouldn't forgive her DD) was deleted.

OP, I think you were right to mention it to the other children's parents. If you were with the girls watching movies and none of the girls went upstairs before you found the pet sick etc., then I can understand why you're convinced it's your nephew. I hope you get the mystery cleared up somehow.

- Girls and I came upstairs at around 9:30pm to get some snacks. Nephew was coming out of the bathroom. I offered some to him and took it in to DS's room where I found DS in bed under the covers and the lights out. DS later told me that he did hear me come in and they then turned on the light and the tv, got themselves some drinks and picked at the popcorn.

- Vomit/hand soap thing and red marker on counter top happened sometime between when DH left for work at 10:30pm (he was on midnight shift) and 1:30am when I went to bed. This definitely was not the girls as I was with them the whole time.

- DS and nephew came downstairs sometime between 10:30-11:00pm to ask us to turn the movie down (DS's room is right above our family room in basement).

- DS said that after that, they went back to his room where DS fell back asleep and nephew played his Nintendo DS.

- About 30 minutes to an hour later, I heard motion upstairs and I remember thinking to myself that the boys must still be awake and expected to see them coming downstairs to watch the movie with us. They never did.

- Not long after that, at around 11:30pm, as I was downstairs with DD and her teenage cousins, still watching movies, we all heard the dog howling upstairs. We all looked at each other and wondered what was wrong with him. DD went upstairs, saw him waiting at the patio doors and just figuring he really needed out badly, let him out. She did not see anyone or notice anything else unusual.

- DD said that after I went to bed, her and her cousins watched a couple more hours of TV and then fell asleep. To the best of her knowledge, none of them went upstairs after I left to go to bed except for herself who got up in the morning to use the washroom (and to grab that bite of cheesecake).

- DS said he and nephew set his alarm clock so that they could wake up the girls in the morning. He said they ate some bagels and cream cheese for breakfast, played outside for a bit, played a prank on his oldest cousin (they put snow in her socks which DS admitted without hesitation was his idea).

- DS said he noticed the pistachios on the couch in the morning and mentioned it to nephew who said that it must have been the girls.

When I spoke with DD and DS, neither were nervous or had any inconsistencies in their story whatsoever. It could be that they are duping me (or that they are all of a sudden destructive sleepwalkers) but again, my gut tells me they are telling me the truth.

Personally, I still think nephew did it (as DH pointed out, he has a history of grand storytelling almost to the point of being a liar) and I think he did it after DS fell asleep and before I came upstairs, likely around the time I heard the motion and the dog started acting up. Whether or not he was sleepwalking while doing it, I guess will remain a mystery...?

Once, when I was about 9, I was at a family friend's home. I washed my hands in the kitchen and dried them on a towel. A few minutes later, the mom was very upset that the towel was wet, because apparently it was an heirloom and not supposed to be used. I was shocked, and I was painfully shy at that point in my life, so I refused to confess. The mom made all of us kids sit on the couch for two hours waiting for someone to confess, and I couldn't bring myself to do it.

OP, I think mentioning it to the kids' parents is the best thing to do. It would drive me crazy not knowing, though!

I've followed this thread with interest, but find myself sidetracked by your post, CakeBeret!

I could understand your viewpoint of mentioning the incident to the kids' parents. In your case, it would've gone like this maybe:

FamilyFriendMom: I just wanted to let you know that earlier we had an incident here. One of the kids wiped their hands on a heirloom towel in my kitchen. I've had them sat down for the last two hours and NONE of them have yet to confess. We may have to suspend playdates.

CakeBeretMom: So to clarify, what must've happened is one of the kids washed his hands in your kitchen and dried them off on a towel? Uh...okay. Suspending playdates sounds like a good idea.

I'm not in anyway comparing this to OP's situation (I'd want to get to the bottom of it as well), but your FFM seems...OCDish?Yikes. Was it ever mentioned to your parents?

If I had been Cakeeater's mother I might have asked the mother "Well, did you tell the girls not to touch that towel?" because it was out, where towels would be usually kept that are meant for drying hands, and if no other option was available, what are they supposed to do?

Yeah, I would have no objection to permanently suspending playdates at that house...

Logged

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars. You have a right to be here. Be cheerful, strive to be happy. -Desiderata

What an odd reply! 1st she says she thought it was you, then she goes on about ghosts. Is she usually like this?

How do you feel about this reply? do you feel like letting this email and chain events go now? Or responding to her to clarify to her that you are concerned about what happened and want to discuss with her how to handle to ensure similar events don't happen in the future?

What an odd reply! 1st she says she thought it was you, then she goes on about ghosts. Is she usually like this?

How do you feel about this reply? do you feel like letting this email and chain events go now? Or responding to her to clarify to her that you are concerned about what happened and want to discuss with her how to handle to ensure similar events don't happen in the future?

Honestly, I'm not entirely surprised. This is the same woman referenced in this thread:

I still hadn't decided for absolute certain whether I was going to back out on the vacation or not but I think her reply to this matter may have clinched it.

DH really doesn't like this woman at all and never really has (it's his brother's ex-wife). He says not to even bother replying. What could I possibly say in response to this? He also said that those kids must have it really easy over there. They never do anything wrong...it was a ghost!